test content
Logo
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc
Immortal BOff Skills combo for Ground
autumnturning
Member Posts: 743 Arc User
This is something I discovered while running on Kobali Prime, but have also had remarkably good success with in the Dyson Ground Zone. Running these skills make my BOffs very nearly indestructible (barring their own propensity to Stand In Fire To Get Warm™ and other Lack Of Survival Instincts behaviors).
Science Medical BOff
This is obviously a defensive setup intended to operate on a "keep me/us alive" basis with use of Tricorder Scan I as an opportunity Debuff. Obviously, the most "expendible" skill from this setup is Tricorder Scan I if you want to mix in something from a Specialization, in which case you might even want to drop Vascular Regenerator II down to I and free up the Lt Commander slot for something especially jazzy/sneaky instead.
One rather entertaining option, if you hybridize into using a Science Temporal BOff and replace Tricorder Scan I with Uncertainty Burst II so as to inflict "chaos on demand" and give your Science BOff a way to redirect hostile fire away from themselves (and buy time to heal themselves and/or allies).
{ pick type } Command BOff
This is what changes your Science BOff from being merely "okay" into being able to "play $Deity" in combat.
I personally like to make a Tactical Officer my Command BOff, because I can then slot in Draw Fire II and use 1 Shield Distribution Officer DOff in support who will have a 50% chance to proc Weapon Malfunction on Foes shooting at the Draw Fire effect. This gloriously creates a situation in which everything shoots at the Draw Fire and then promptly suffers a Weapon Malfunction and stops shooting while my Science Medic BOff heals up the damage on my Tactical Command BOff and keeping the both alive.
The combination of strong Healing support and strong Resistance stacking makes my otherwise flimsy BOffs very nearly immortal, in part because the synergy gives them both time to "react" to situations rather than immediately succumbing to them and faceplanting. Add in the Draw Fire to inflict Weapon Malfunction combo and things get even more "unfair" for the Foes I'm delivering the beatdown to with my BOffs. It basically turns you and your BOffs into mobile fortresses of survivability.
Incidentally, the Draw Fire and Shield Distribution Officer combo can be especially potent for a Tactical Captain who is using a Draw Fire Kit Module, rendering most PvE Foes "offenseless" for sustained periods of time while you proceed to slaughter them wholesale (rather than retail).
For a Science Captain, nearly all of the DOff support options you'd be wanting to use for your Science Medical BOff are things that will augment your own use of Medical Kit Modules to make yourself even MORE immortal that you would be otherwise, and that's not even counting all the Damage Resistance being stacked up by your {fill in the blank} Command BOff who is spending all their time augmenting both your offense and your defense with their skills.
Needless to say, this particular combination has become practically "standard cookie cutter" for all of my Captains, to the point where the only real variation on my Away Team lineups is who gets the last two BOff slots and what Profession my Captain is. But anywhere I can bring two BOffs with me ... I feel sorry for the NPCs.
The nice thing with each of these BOff layouts is that there's basically OPTIONS. The Science Officer has some "wiggle room" to exchange Tricorder Scan I and/or Vascular Regenerator II for something else. The Command BOff can just as easily be an Engineer or another Science Officer, if you really want them to be. The Science Officer can be Specialized into Command, Intelligence or Temporal as you please ... and so on.
Science Medical BOff
- Medical Tricorder I with optional 1-3 Doctor DOffs and/or 1-3 Counselor DOffs in support.
- Tricorder Scan I with optional 1 Biochemist DOff and/or 1 Biologist DOff in support.
- Vascular Regenerator II with optional 1-3 Doctor DOffs and/or 1-3 Counselor DOffs in support.
- Nanite Health Monitor II with optional 1 Biochemist DOff in support.
This is obviously a defensive setup intended to operate on a "keep me/us alive" basis with use of Tricorder Scan I as an opportunity Debuff. Obviously, the most "expendible" skill from this setup is Tricorder Scan I if you want to mix in something from a Specialization, in which case you might even want to drop Vascular Regenerator II down to I and free up the Lt Commander slot for something especially jazzy/sneaky instead.
One rather entertaining option, if you hybridize into using a Science Temporal BOff and replace Tricorder Scan I with Uncertainty Burst II so as to inflict "chaos on demand" and give your Science BOff a way to redirect hostile fire away from themselves (and buy time to heal themselves and/or allies).
{ pick type } Command BOff
- Take Cover I
- { open pick }
- Hammer and Anvil III
- Strategic Analysis III
This is what changes your Science BOff from being merely "okay" into being able to "play $Deity" in combat.
- Take Cover I adds +30 Damage Resistance, and if you and your BOffs crouch you get Heal over Time going.
- Hammer and Anvil III adds +80 Damage Resistance to Foes that are facing you (and all Foes that are attacking you are facing you), and +40% All Damage to any any Foes you are Flanking (and are therefore NOT facing you and not attacking you).
- Strategic Analysis III adds +20 to +60 Damage Resistance (increases by +5 every 5 seconds) and +10% to +30% All Damage (increases +2.5% every 5 seconds) over 40 seconds
I personally like to make a Tactical Officer my Command BOff, because I can then slot in Draw Fire II and use 1 Shield Distribution Officer DOff in support who will have a 50% chance to proc Weapon Malfunction on Foes shooting at the Draw Fire effect. This gloriously creates a situation in which everything shoots at the Draw Fire and then promptly suffers a Weapon Malfunction and stops shooting while my Science Medic BOff heals up the damage on my Tactical Command BOff and keeping the both alive.
The combination of strong Healing support and strong Resistance stacking makes my otherwise flimsy BOffs very nearly immortal, in part because the synergy gives them both time to "react" to situations rather than immediately succumbing to them and faceplanting. Add in the Draw Fire to inflict Weapon Malfunction combo and things get even more "unfair" for the Foes I'm delivering the beatdown to with my BOffs. It basically turns you and your BOffs into mobile fortresses of survivability.
Incidentally, the Draw Fire and Shield Distribution Officer combo can be especially potent for a Tactical Captain who is using a Draw Fire Kit Module, rendering most PvE Foes "offenseless" for sustained periods of time while you proceed to slaughter them wholesale (rather than retail).
For a Science Captain, nearly all of the DOff support options you'd be wanting to use for your Science Medical BOff are things that will augment your own use of Medical Kit Modules to make yourself even MORE immortal that you would be otherwise, and that's not even counting all the Damage Resistance being stacked up by your {fill in the blank} Command BOff who is spending all their time augmenting both your offense and your defense with their skills.
Needless to say, this particular combination has become practically "standard cookie cutter" for all of my Captains, to the point where the only real variation on my Away Team lineups is who gets the last two BOff slots and what Profession my Captain is. But anywhere I can bring two BOffs with me ... I feel sorry for the NPCs.
The nice thing with each of these BOff layouts is that there's basically OPTIONS. The Science Officer has some "wiggle room" to exchange Tricorder Scan I and/or Vascular Regenerator II for something else. The Command BOff can just as easily be an Engineer or another Science Officer, if you really want them to be. The Science Officer can be Specialized into Command, Intelligence or Temporal as you please ... and so on.
THE Balanced Budget Build
Protonic Kool-Aid Down The Drain Cruiser
Immortal BOff Skills combo for Ground
Protonic Kool-Aid Down The Drain Cruiser
Immortal BOff Skills combo for Ground
0
Comments
Since DR was new and I stumbled into the hell that is Kobali Prime, I have been using two Sci DOFFs with exactly the same abilities you outline, but I had never thought to look at the Active Ground DOFF angles, other than just slotting in that Kobali DOFF that boosts your ground damage. Well done.
And it had never occurred to me that I could just make a BOFF into a Command spec without ever spending any of my captain's spec points in that spec. DOH!
Admittedly, I stopped tinkering with my BOFFs after the Kelvin Lockbox came out. Equip an Engineer with Sabotage I and II; faceroll 80% of STO's content on any difficulty. Also, I bring a sci with heals because I am generally too lazy to use hypos outside of qued content.
Maybe I'll give your build a try though. I retired my Tac officers from my away teams months ago.
Command Specialization makes Tactical BOffs "viable" for longer than 3 hits. That's what makes the difference. Just hand them a weapon that they'll shoot (lots) and turn them loose.
Protonic Kool-Aid Down The Drain Cruiser
Immortal BOff Skills combo for Ground
I don't do parsing, and I don't have time (or won't take the time which boils down to the same thing) to run a ground mission twice to compare new skill set to old. However I set my Sci just as you recommended, trained my Tac in Command with the skills you gave, with photon grenade in the empty space, and ran through the ground combat portion of "Time and Tide" for my first time ever without having to respawn or even revive a Boff even once. Never even came close to anyone dying.
Having several toons I have yet to run through the kobali ground missions due to my loathing of multiple respawns, this is like manna from heaven.
And I originally somehow missed the draw fire/shield distribution combo, so I'm going to slot that also before hitting Kobali.
Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Protonic Kool-Aid Down The Drain Cruiser
Immortal BOff Skills combo for Ground
Here's a variation on the theme for those who like such things ...
Science Medical BOff
This yields a "stronger" Healing mix than the above, although you lose access to the Tricorder Scan I debuff in exchange. For the Ensign Science Skill, I'd recommend either Electro-Gravitic Field I, especially if you have 1-3 Geologist DOffs in support ... or Tachyon Harmonic (which no DOffs support?) for destruction of Shields and Force Fields. Hypospray - Dylovene only makes sense for "melee monster" builds, which BOffs tend to be terrible at thanks to "Stand In Fire To Warm Up™" powers of AI scripting.
That's of course assuming you haven't given your Science BOff a Specialization from which to draw for their Ensign Ground Skill. Notable possibilities include:
Protonic Kool-Aid Down The Drain Cruiser
Immortal BOff Skills combo for Ground
Sci healer build (potentially Nelen Exil - creative + good traits) boff.
Command specialized. (Creative trait for heals - and for fed options, Bajoran or for kdf options Orions, due to seduce/seductive)
Weapon Suggestion: Pulsewave Rifle with KB1,2,3. (Constant distance keeper)
1. Command - Take Cover 1.
2. Vascular Regenerator 2.
3. Medical Tricorder 3. (Large ammount of HP)
4. Nanite Health Monitor.
Tac threat magnet (Potentially Andorian with Superior Fury - Scaling all damage bonus as health drops for fed, Klingon for KDF)
Command specialized (Surefooted is a serious advantage, since you remain into the range of healing boff)
Weapon Suggestion: Pulsewave Assault with KB1,2,3. (Secondary Fire splits up the gathered enemies, knocking them down)
1. Draw Fire 1. (Threat switch is mandatory)
2. Suppressing Fire 1(Lower speed and lower damage for enemies really helps)
3. Command - Return Fire 1 (Corresponding to the threat and damage taken)
4. Overwatch 3. (Resistances and debuffs for all of the enemies targeting and damaging the threat magnet)
Engineering Supporter (Up to you to pick the race you like for the boff)
Command specialized (Surefooted, Creative work just fine as traits for this Supporter)
Weapon Suggestion: Any weapon works. A Assault Minigun with KB and DOT is also a great idea.
1. Command - Overwhelm Shields 1.
2. Command - Strategic Analysis 1.
3. Sabotage (3) or Shield Recharge (3)
4. Shield Generator Fabrication 3 (Mandatory to hold any position when under fire)
Science Disabler (Borg Omega Reputation Boff is the best option)
Intelligence specialized (creative, stasis specialist for romulan boffs)
Weapon Suggestion: Split Beam rifle/Wide Beam Pistol to contribute to aoe damage bursts.
1. ElectroGravitic Field 1.
2. Intelligence - Incite Chaos 2. (amazing effect)
3. Sonic Pulse 2.
4. Dampening Field.
Tactical Melee Enforcer (Saurian for Federation - Superior Physical Strength, Gorn/Klingon for Physical Strength as well, Jem'Hadar boff is amazing as well)
Command Specialized
Weapon Suggestion: Melee (if you can avoid the melee bugs) or Full Auto Rifle.
1. Sweeping Strikes 1.
2. Lunge 1.
3. Command - Return Fire (Drops cooldowns)
4. Motion Accelerator.
Tactical Raw Damage Dealer (Any boff with Lucky Trait, Soldier Trait or simillar traits that increase overall dps-output, Jemhadar boff and klingon boffs also help alot, Elisa Flores or Tovan Khev are suited for this role also)
Command Specialized
Weapon Suggestion: Split Beam Rifle/ Wide beam plasma rifle / Full auto Rifle (Potentially Omega Set on the boff 3 piece)
1.Battle Strategies 1.
2.Target Optics 1.
3. Fire On My Mark 1.
4. Strategic Analysis 3. (Overall team dps goes up)
I hope these will help you get better ground teams. Even if some might be basically ground-barbies.
Yet another case of "this is too good to just keep to myself" kind of stuff. What can I say?
BOff AI scripting for best use of their weapons is kinda- SQUIRREL!
There are better weapons for that job depending on how far away you want to keep your opposition. Use a Pistol with [KB3] if you want to knock them down "closer than too far away" or use a Rifle with [KB3] if you want your BOff(s) to "reach out and smack them down" as far as possible. Pulsewaves (20m/15m) just haven't got the "reach" to do that job particularly well, let alone do it to a "nice distribution" of targets, like a Split Beam (35m/35m) would, and they are even inferior in that regard to a Wide Beam Pistol (25m/15m). Another alternative would be a High Density Beam Rifle (35m/35m) if you want your BOff(s) to be shooting in lines that don't lose damage over distance and still has plenty of "reach" to it.
Protonic Kool-Aid Down The Drain Cruiser
Immortal BOff Skills combo for Ground
Science Command BOff
Okay ... how does dropping Nanite Health Monitor II for Vascular Regenerator III and Delegated Devastation I improve matters any? Doesn't that make things WORSE as far as "Heal Bot" functionality is concerned, since you won't have "just in time healing" from Nanites happening?
Not necessarily.
The main problem with BOff Medics is that they aren't using their skills to heal you and your away team as often as possible. The BOff AI will tend to prioritize shooting Foes over healing Friends. Delegated Devastation will (back door) "solve" that problem by taking away your Medic's capacity to shoot (via Weapons Offline) and force them to rely on use of their Skills to "do stuff" ... which incidentally is exactly what you want them to be doing anyway. The cooldown time on Vascular Regenerator is much lower than that on Nanite Health Monitor, and it also cleanses bleed effects, meaning that (over time) use of Vascular Regenerator will deliver a larger amount of healing than Nanite Health Monitor would. At the same time, without a weapon to shoot, your Medic will also prefer to use their Medical Tricorder more as well, further increasing the effectiveness/efficiency of the Heal Bot Factor.
I haven't tested this proposition yet, but I suspect that this won't actually wind up being an exactly equal tradeoff, with the balance winding up in favor of the use of Delegated Devastation, which incidentally winds up being a buff counterpart to Tricorder Scan's debuff, all while pushing your Science BOff to prefer doing "medic stuff" instead of trying to DPS all the time.
Yes ... this proposition deserves to be tested ...
And if a BOff can have more than one Specialization at a time(?) then I'd want to put Uncertainty Burst I from Temporal Specialization into the Ensign slot to provide a "Mass Comedy" bent which can then take pressure off you and your Away Team and give your Heal Bot even more time to mitigate incoming damage.
Protonic Kool-Aid Down The Drain Cruiser
Immortal BOff Skills combo for Ground